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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27015217">In All the Ways It Matters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BannerApples/pseuds/BannerApples'>BannerApples</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Red vs. Blue, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(In the Forms of Lack of Sleep and Lack of Actual Food), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Because They are Dumb of Mind and Thicc of Ass, I will Ride or Die for this JereDiesel train, JereDiesel, M/M, Mechanic!Jeremy, Reflavoured to Not Be Jeremwood (For Reasons), Soulmate AU, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:28:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,116</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27015217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BannerApples/pseuds/BannerApples</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmates are a tricky thing to navigate when two people are already in love long before they Touch. Luckily Diesel doesn't care about Soulmates, all the way up until he finds out that Jeremy is his.... and he is Jeremy's. Unfortunately, Jeremy has a hard time believing that Diesel actually loves him for him, and not just because they are Soulmates. Diesel has to convince him otherwise.</p><p>(I spaced and forgot to put a summary here when I posted this, sorry about that!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeremy Dooley/Diesel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In All the Ways It Matters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/RazzleyD/gifts">RazzleyD</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangecookiekay/gifts">orangecookiekay</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A little context here: Soulmate AU, where Person A has to Touch Person B’s bare skin to know, and vice versa - but it’s not the type of AU where once one Touches they both Know. They have to Touch separately to Know. Also may be flavoured with a Colour Soulmate AU where you can’t see a specific colour or shades of colours until you Touch. If this is the case, Diesel cannot see shades of Red (ie Purple and Orange included in this), and Jeremy cannot see shades of Blue (ie no sky or ocean, and the bright blue of Diesel’s armor is just grey to him). Shoutout to both @orangeycookiekay and @razzleyd over on tumblr because they indulge and reciprocate these dumb jerediesel shenanigans in our group chat and I don’t think I’d be holding it together as well if not for them and this immediate AU of RvBZ. This is also the most I’ve written in months that actually is jointed and makes sense.</p><p>Also crossposted to tumblr under demoncowedger.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Diesel gets it. He's dumb. He <em> knows </em> this. But he really - He really needs to stop and <em> think </em> how he can convince his wonderful, lovely, amazing mechanic that he <em> loves </em> him, and not just because of some dumb touching <em> magic </em>. So he goes. He requests a mission that will take him away from Jeremy for a few weeks, because he thinks best when out on the field, a place where people rightly have no time to think about things other than fighting.</p><p>And Jeremy, he tries not to be, but when he wakes up the next day from the Touch, and Diesel’s gone, well, he's rightly upset now isn't he? And why shouldn't he be, Diesel is his Soulmate and despite how much Jeremy loved him before it was truly confirmed, well.</p><p>Jeremy thinks back to his youth, to all the couples that hated each other before they <em> Knew </em> , that suddenly fell in love and decided to get married, who claimed that because they were Soulmates that it had to work out. He saw so many miserable relationships of people who thought they were Soulmates but turned out to not, who faked it because they agreed to not be alone anymore, to be torn away from their carefully built cultivated <em> lies </em> , when one or the other found their actual Soulmate..... all the way back to when he first found out that one person could be someone's Soulmate, but it wasn't mutual. That sometimes the magic fucked up, and one person could have a Soulmate completely different from their <em> Other </em>.</p><p>And the more he thinks on it, the angrier he gets. Why wouldn't that make sense? Diesel never claimed Jeremy was his Soulmate! But yet, when Jeremy laid his hand upon Diesel’s bare arm for the first time and exclaimed, he only looked sad and shocked before forcing a smile. So why would it not be a stretch that Jeremy's Soulmate was not... That <em> Jeremy </em> was not his Other...</p><p>He spends the day upset and crying, clutching the note Diesel left that simply says "Mission. Will be back. Love you." And wonders. <em> Wonders </em> if that last part is because he truly does love him, or because Jeremy is his Soulmate and he has to pretend. And it <em> kills </em> him. And the days pass into weeks, and Jeremy is all out of emotions, and he takes all his love, all his feelings for Diesel, and he locks them away in the deep recess of his heart and mind, and he throws himself into his work with a fervor that is almost unhealthy.</p><p>Diesel. Diesel finally comes back and despite everything, despite <em> everything </em> , Jeremy feels a bit of warmth and love for him, and he scowls, and he tucks himself away, and continues to throw himself into his work. Diesel looks for him, but they are always just missing each other, and Diesel, well, Diesel had time to think too, and he's set his mind on trying to prove that it's not just magic, that he <em> fell in love </em> long before he Touched Jeremy, and Jeremy Touched him. It takes a few days, Diesel going to their shared suite and finding Jeremy's bed empty and cold, the made up sheets never changing, and something starts to <em> niggle </em> in the back of his mind.</p><p>When was the last time he saw Jeremy sleep, or eat at the mess hall, or even just take a break? He's managed to sneak away to the shop a few times, but the lad's always been swamped with work, ignoring him in favour of getting things done. But he <em> thinks </em>. He thinks back to the last time he saw Jeremy, and it hits him all at once.</p><p>Jeremy is - He's a lot paler than he used to be, whether from sickness or something else, but he's got bruises under his eyes, and his hands shake slightly while working, and his desk has empty cans strewn about and the garbage beside it is filled with torn up papers and wrappers of energy bars. And Diesel, <em> oh ho </em>, Diesel storms into the mechanic's bay, and he waits until Jeremy is straightened up from whatever he was fixing, some piece or part that is vastly unimportant in the grand scheme of things, especially now.</p><p>And Diesel tromps up to him, silently, using all his hard earned and fought skills, and <em> bodily snatches Jeremy up </em> , and away, and he tightens his grip to iron when Jeremy thrashes in his arms, struggling and yelling to be put down, and he just falls into a shocked silence when Diesel <em> growls </em> , low and heated, and <em> nothing </em>like he's ever done before in front of his beloved mechanic, a growl that's reserved only for the battlefield.</p><p>And Diesel walks. He walks, out of the base, and towards where they had normally gone to watch the sunrise together before all this, where Diesel had thought perhaps to confess to Jeremy there, to tell his mechanic that unlike anything he’s ever felt before, he <em> loves </em> him.</p><p>And it takes him about an hour, slow and steady, and the rocking of his motions draws Jeremy to sleep, and Diesel just glances down at this softly snoring idiot of a man - really he's even more of a dumbass than Diesel is - and he sighs. He gets to their spot, and digs out the blanket they left there the last time, and he lays Jeremy down on it. He drops the bag he was wearing over his shoulder, grabbed before he tracked Jeremy down, its contents full of water bottles and actual food, down beside them and he thinks.</p><p>He <em> thinks </em> , and <em> decides </em>, and before he can regret it he unlatches his helmet. His gloves. His boots. Bit by bit, piece by piece. He sheds his armor, until all he is wearing is his bodysuit, a dark grey material that's hard and stiff for protection, that’s just flexible enough and soft enough for delicate movement. And he lays down, behind Jeremy, curling up as if to protect him from the world, arm jutting out so he has a place to rest his head.</p><p>And the bags under Jeremy’s eyes are even more pronounced out in the sun, where his pale skin shines, and Diesel gets mad. At himself for thinking leaving was the best thing to do; at Jeremy for being <em> so stupid </em> as to shut himself down, because it's obvious that's what he did; at the both of them together; at the world for <em> daring </em> to tie them together with Magic when their love would have been enough.</p><p>Diesel’s actually on the edge of dozing off himself hours later, sun-warmed and comfortably curled up around his mechanic, when Jeremy lets out a soft groan and shifts, turning in his hold to get his eyes out of the sunlight. He looks down, and can't help the slow smile that graces him when Jeremy blinks sleepily up at him. </p><p>He’s <em> wonderful </em> , and it's utterly adorable, and then Jeremy's cracking a yawn and he comes back to himself, bit by bit, and then he flails, trying to get out of Diesel's hold. Diesel scoots himself backwards, holding a patience in him that is so <em> uncharacteristically him </em> that Jeremy stops. And stares. Diesel just smiles at him, eyes full of the love and words he can't put to tongue.</p><p>Jeremy’s just. He's mad. And upset. And Diesel <em> technically </em> kidnapped him, but he can't - He can't stay mad, because that was the most and surprisingly comfiest sleep he's had in, well, a long time.</p><p>And he felt <em> safe </em> even with the realization that Diesel is practically naked, that his armor is in a neat pile next to them, and he thinks, even as he watches, throat dry and eyes wet, as Diesel turns and digs out a bottle of water and a wrapped sandwich, he thinks. Diesel didn't have to kidnap him just to get sleep; he didn't have to bring him food, or drink. Didn't have to blink up at him with his mismatched eyes, broken pupils and all, full of such adoration and care that it's <em> almost impossible </em> for Jeremy to deny that Diesel only <em> pretends </em> to love him, that for all Diesel is, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and Diesel. Well.</p><p>Diesel pats the ground in front of him, sitting up now with legs open, water and food still in his other hand, and Jeremy sits. He's manhandled around so his back is to Diesel’s chest, and it's warm. It's very warm, and he takes the water without question, eats the sandwich with no fuss, and he's full for the first time in weeks, and Diesel wraps his arms around Jeremy, a loose hold he could very well get out of easily if he wanted to. </p><p>And Diesel speaks. He speaks more than he's ever said before, to practically <em> anyone </em>, and Jeremy. Jeremy listens, and he feels his heart burst with affection and love for this man, this monster who explains his life before, at how filled with hate and anger and rage, how there has been no love, no light in it until Jeremy came along, it's broken, and Diesel stops at times to collect his words, but he manages to get out that he fell in love with Jeremy long before. </p><p>That him Touching Jeremy that one day had nothing to do with being Soulmates, and everything to do with how much Diesel felt he <em> loved </em> and could <em> trust </em> him enough to reach out, to let himself have hope for the first time, that he prayed in his own head that colour wouldn't burst over his eyes, that Jeremy wouldn't be his Soulmate because it would ruin him. But he was, and Diesel resolved. Diesel resolved to protect Jeremy with all his life, with all he had, and fell in love more, and more, and more, until he wasn't sure where he began and Jeremy ended.</p><p>And that's the moment he allowed Jeremy to Touch, just to see, because it would break his heart if Jeremy <em> wasn't </em> his Soulmate, after all this. And he saw the Colour burst through Jeremy's eyes, and the grip Jeremy had on his arm tightened, and Diesel felt inside a flash of yes, sadness and shock, because it was <em> True </em> , they were meant for each other, and he couldn't fathom the awe and love in Jeremy's voice as he uttered the word <em> Soulmate </em> . And that's why he left, because he needed time to think, time to figure out how to tell Jeremy the same; that they were Soulmates, and how Diesel would throw himself into the sun's nova for Jeremy if only he <em> asked </em>.</p><p>And they talk. They talk until the sun itself is gone, until the chill of the night sets in. Jeremy has eaten several different bits of food, drank at least 4 bottles of water under Diesel’s watchful eyes, and he's <em> tired </em> . He's exhausted in more ways than one, and he can tell Diesel is too, but he's pushing himself, all to make sure Jeremy knows he's loved, that at least <em> someone </em> out there cares for him.</p><p>And curled up against Diesel. It's warm - It's warm, and nice, and he doesn't mean to really, but he's falling asleep again, and he knows Diesel knows this, as his grip adjusts and tightens minutely, and Jeremy's heart aches, and he's just about asleep when it escapes him, when he whispers "I love you" in a hold that is safe and warm and everything he's ever wanted, and he's answered, answered by Diesel uttering into the nape of his neck, curled almost possessively around him, an "I love you" back, and he's takes those three words, and he holds them tight even as his eyes shut, his breathing evens out, and he's gone.</p><p>Out like a light, and snoring just as loud as the air circulation systems in the base, and Diesel waits until he's well and truly asleep before carefully getting up, untangling himself, and he stretches the kinks out of his body, slowly clambering back into his armor, and he slings the bag over his shoulder, pick up Jeremy, blanket and all, and carries him bridal style all the way home, where he does everything again in reverse.</p><p>Tucking Jeremy into Diesel's own bed after at least stripping him of his mechanic’s coveralls, leaving him in his tank top and boxers, and he sheds everything, all his armor, his underclothes, and changes into his own sleep clothes before curling back up against the warmth, warmer than anything Diesel could use to heat himself up, and he lets himself fall into slumber, breathing in time with his beloved Soulmate.</p>
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